Urine collector with flexible container and internal support

ABSTRACT

A DISPOSABLE URINE CONTAINER PARTICULARLY FOR PATIENTS IN BEDS WHICH ELIMINATES COMPLICATED CLEANING PROCEDURES, WHICH DOES NOT PRESENT ANY RICK OF LEAKAGE AND NEVERTHELESS CAN BE STORED UNTIL AN INSPECTION (SUCH AS MEASURING) OF ITS CONTENTS HAS BEEN PERFORMED. TO ACHIEVE THIS THE DEVICE HAS A SUPPORTING MEANS THAT IS RATHER STIFF IN RELATION TO THE CONTAINER IN THE DEVICE, SAID SUPPORTING MEANS ADAPTED, AT THE DEPOSITION OF THE DEVICE ON A FIRM BASE, TO REST AGAINST THIS BASE AND AT THE SAME TIME LOCATE THE OPENING OF THE INLET CHANNEL TO THE CONTAINER AT A LEVEL ABOVE THE LIQUID LEVEL IN THE CONTAINER.

a h 971 E. s. K. A. BECKMAN 3,56

URINE COLLECTOR WITH 'FLEXIBE CONTAINER AND INTERNAL SUPPORT Filed Oct. 29, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 YURINE COLLECTOR WITH FLEXIBE CONTAINER AND INTERNAL SUPPORT Filed 001;. 29, 1968 March. 9, 1971 E. a. K. A. BECKMAN 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ,Q I I United States Patent 01 3,568,218 Patented Mar. 9, 1971 Tree 3,568,218 URINE COLLECTOR WITH FLEXIBLE CONTAINER AND INTERNAL SUPPORT Elsa G. K. A. Beckman, Wittstocksgaten 2, Stockholm N0, Sweden, and Lars W. Othn, Helenelund, Sweden; said Othn assignor to said Beckman Filed Oct. 29, 1968, Ser. No. 771,558 Int. Cl. E03d 13/00 U.S. Cl. 4110 13 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A disposable urine container particularly for patients in beds which eliminates complicated cleaning procedures: which does not present any risk of leakage and nevertheless can be stored until an inspection (such as measuring) of its contents has been performed. To achieve this the device has a supporting means that is rather stiff in relation to the container in the device, said supporting means adapted, at the deposition of the device on a firm base, to rest against this base and at the same time locate the opening of the inlet channel to the container at a level above the liquid level in the container.

The present invention relates to a urine collector intended primarily for patients lying in bed, said urine collector being provided with a collecting container having an inlet channel.

One object of the invention is to provide a cheap urine collector which on the one hand eliminates complicated cleaning and on the other hand efficiently prevents infection risks due to transmission. After the collector has been used it may be stored in a satisfactory manner without any risk of leakage until the device is disposed of after an inspection. In this way the device may be used several times by the same patient and be disposed of only when the collecting container is almost filled up.

To this end one has hitherto merely used urine bottles of a rather stiff material such as glass, metal, porcelain and the like. Such vessels are expensive to purchase and to maintain and must be carefully cleaned after each use. In spite of effective cleaning methods there is, however, still a risk of infection transmission.

In order to eliminate these drawbacks different kinds of disposable urine collectors mostly in the shape of bags have been proposed but such devices have hitherto not been shaped in any suitable way and for this reason not been used widely. A serious drawback of such known urine collecting bags is to be seen in that after use they have not been apt to be placed e.g. on the bed-side table without risk of leakage.

It has now turned out that it is possible to solve this problem by means of the present invention which relates to a urine collector of a quite new type. One feature of the invention is that the device is provided with a support means which is rather stiff in relation to the container, said support being adapted to rest on any suitable surface and thus fix the position of the opening of the inlet channel at a level which is situated above the liquid level in the container.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention the support comprises a rail which is attached to the inlet channel and has a bottom support that is situated either otuside or inside the collector container proper. The support may be manufactured integrally with the inlet channel and also in a suitable way be attached to the latter.

In both cases there is obtained a satisfactory support at a temporary keeping of the collector after its use and at the same time risks of leakage are eliminated due to the position of the inlet opening in relation to the liquid level in the collector container.

In the following the invention will be described with reference to some preferred embodiments. In the drawmgs:

FIG. 1 is a partly cut diagrammatical view of a first embodiment of the invention,

FIG. 2 shows a side elevation of a further embodiment of the invention, and

FIG. 3 shows a view from above of the embodiment shown in FIG. 2.

The device shown in FIG. 1 comprises a tube shaped portion serving as an inlet channel 1 and being provided with an inlet opening 2, The inlet channel 1 projects, at least partly, with its end turned away from the inlet opening 2, into the mouth of a collecting container 3 in the shape of a 'bag. The bag-like container 3 is secured to the channel 1 with a liquid-tight joint in a known manner. Within the inlet channel 1 is the upper end of a support means 4, the support extending in the shape of a bottom support 5 into the container 3. The support 5 is arranged such that it encloses an angle with the inlet channel 1 or with the part of the support means 4 debouching from the inlet channel. The collection container 3 is manufactured from a preferably highly flexible, moisture proof material, such as synthetic resin or suitable plastic laminate and is provided with suitable index markings 6 for a measuring of the liquid contents. The inlet channel 1 is on its outer side provided with an outwards projecting flange 7 close to the opening 2 and the outer portion of the inlet channel between the flange 7 and the bag opening is preferably provided with a fluted portion 8 or the like.

Also the device shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 comprises an inlet channel 1 having an inlet opening 2 and a collector container 3 in the shape of a bag. The inlet channel 1 debouches in a cone-shaped elongation 9 which in mounted position is intended to constitute a one-way valve. The support means 4 is also in the embodiment of the invention shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 manufactured from a material that is rather stiff in relation to the container and has one end portion 10 extending into the bag-like container 3 and another end portion 11 extending into the inlet channel 1. The end portion 11 has in this case a considerably larger broad dimension and is intended to be bent at its insertion into the inlet channel 1, to form a hollow spindle or tube having an essentially circular cross section to stiffen the channel.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 the support means 4 comprises a rail loosely arranged in the container, with its portion 10 situated in the container and serving as a bottom support and its opposite, upper end 11 cooperating with the correspondingly shaped upper portion of the container to form the inlet channel 1 proper. Such a device is well adapted for assembly line production. It is preferable to form the body of the container from two pre-cut plastic foils A and B, each having an essentially rectangular lower portion 12 and a projecting elongated tip 13 having a tapering end 14, the tip 13 being intended to serve as the inlet channel 1. The support means 4 is applied between these two foils A and B with its portion 10 intended to serve as a bottom support situated between the portions of the foils A and B of essentially rectangular shape. The upper portion 11 of the support means 4, which is intended in mounted position to form the inlet channel 1 by means of an abutment against the inner surface of the elongated tips 13, is arranged between said elongated tips 13. Thus, this upper portion 11 of the support means 4 is somewhat broader than its lower portion 10 and is intended to be bent around to form a tubular passage in the inlet channel formed between the interior sides of the elongated tips 13. After a welding of the two foils A and B along 3 their outer, limits, however, an opennig 15 is formed at the tapering end 14 of the tips 13, the device shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 is obtained. The tapering end 14 of the two elongated tips 13 which now have been joined along their side edges in contact with each other are telescopingly inwardly folded down into the inlet channel 1 then serve as a one-way valve.

The upper portion 11 ,of the supporting means 4 could then preferably from the beginning form a certain angle with its lower portion intended to serve as bottom support.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 there is further arranged an external band-shaped means 16. The band 16 is, preferably by means of a spot weld 18, attached adjacent the lower limiting border 19' of the container and its opposite end is attached near the mouth 2 of the container. The band 16 serves on the one hand as a handle and on the other hand the collector container 3 proper may easily be torn open to empty its contents by a tearing-off of the upper end 17 of the band 16 at the spot weld 18. Further, by making the band 16 shorter than the distance between the lower limitation border 19 of the container and the mouth 2, measured along the container surface, it is possible to assist or to obtain the intended inclination of the support means 4, with the band 16 acting as a brace for the bent sup port 4.

The embodiment of the device shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 could also very easily be folded to a very compact unit which is of special importance for the storing and the transportation of the device before its use. The inlet channel 1 is then folded against the bottom support and then the side portions of the collector container 3 may be folded about the support means 4 thus folded.

T o eliminate any risk of damages to the collector container 3 at least the border of the support means 4 situated inside the container should be rounded. The support means may preferably be manufactured from a material that is rather stiff in relation to the container 3.

As obvious from the drawings, the device may after its use be arranged on a firm support, e.g. the bed-side table, without any riskof leakage.

The invention is not restricted to the embodiments shown in the drawings but may be modified in many ways Within the scope of the appended claims.

Thus, the support means 4 may rather be arranged outside the collector container proper and further the inlet channel may if desired be equipped with a one-way valve of another type than the one shown in FIGS. 2 and 3.

The inlet channel 1 does not have to be manufactured integrally with the supporting means 4 but the latter may be manufactured separately and in many different ways be attached to or kept in the container. Additionally the bottom support may if desired in a suitable way be attached in or at thecollector container.

Moreover, the support means 4 may be formed of the container material itself bymeans of one or more sealed double wall sections arranged within the Wall of the device so that before using the device the sealed sections could be inflated in a manner known per se.

Thus, the present invention relates to a novel urine collector of the disposable type, i.e. in the sense that the 4 device may certainly be used many times by one and the same patient but be disposed of when the collector container has been filled to a certain extent.

What we claim is:

1. A urine collector comprising: an inlet channel; a urine container consisting of a bag .of a highly flexible and moistureproof material, said container having an opening sealingly attached to the inlet channel and communicating therewith; and a separate support which is more rigid than the container, said support being arranged to rest on a firm base when the container is placed thereon so as to maintain an end of the inlet channel remote from the container at a higher level than the level to which the container is adapted to be filled, said support passing through at least a portion of the inlet channel and extending into the container.

2. A urine container according to claim 1 wherein one end of the support is attached to the inlet channel.

3. A urine collector according to claim 1 wherein a portion of the support spaced from the inlet channel is disposed at an angle to the channel.

4. A urine collector according to claim 1 wherein the bag is formed of synthetic resinous material.

5. A urine collector according to claim 1 wherein the container bears index markings for measurement of the liquid contents of the container.

6. A urine collector according to claim 1 wherein the inlet channel has an outwardly extending flange.

7. A urine collector according to claim 1 wherein the inlet channel includes a one way valve to prevent undesired discharge of liquid from the container.

8. A urine collector according to claim 7 wherein the inlet channel tapers convergently towards the container to form said one-way valve.

9. A urine collector according to claim 1, the inlet channel and container being integrally formed.

10. A urine collector according to claim 1 wherein a portion of the support is attached to the container.

11. A urine collector according to claim 1 including a .band extending from an end .of the inlet channel remote from the container to an end of the container remote from the inlet channel, said band being arranged outside the container.

12. A urine collector according to claim 11 wherein one end of said band is welded to the inlet channel, and an opposite end of the band is soattached to the container that it may be torn off.

13. A urine collector according to claim 1 wherein the support is formed of the same material as the container and is inflatable.

References .Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,855,607 10/1958 Sullivan 4-ll0 3,163,868 1/1965 Steelet 1 4--1.1o 3,299,442. 1/ 1967 White et a1. 4, 3,005,992 10/1961 Sullivan 4-110 3,249,950 5/1966 Wilson 4112 3,422,985 1/1969 Rinehart 4l42X LAVERNE D. GEIGER, Primary Examiner R. I. SMITH, Assistant Examiner 

